Residents along Meadowbrook Road in Pewaukee are raising concerns about inconsistent speed limits, which they believe are making the road increasingly dangerous.
According to TMJ4 News, the issue stems from the transition off I-94, where the speed limit drops to 35 mph, then quickly jumps to 45 mph for less than a mile.
Longtime residents Debby and Tom Fischer, who have lived next to Meadowbrook Road for nearly three decades, describe the speeding in this short stretch as hazardous. “It is just too fast,” Debby Fischer shared, while her husband added, “If they would make a consistent speed limit along this road then it could make it a little bit easier for residents along this road to navigate.”
Their concerns are not unfounded. A Wisconsin Department of Transportation crash map revealed eight injury crashes and one fatality in the last two years on the stretch of Meadowbrook Road between I-94 and College Avenue.
Although a speed study conducted in 2022 by the Waukesha County Department of Public Works concluded the current limits align with national guidance, residents argue that the 85th percentile speed—used to determine limits—does not necessarily reflect what’s safe. “The speed limit doesn’t seem to match the people from the freeway to the road to right here,” noted Pewaukee resident Patrick Kettner.
Longtime resident Catherine Ellingboe, who has lived on the road for 50 years, expressed frustration over the dangers of speeding drivers. “My brother’s been rear-ended and one of my kids has been rear-ended,” she said.
While Waukesha County DPW maintains that the speed limits are appropriate if followed, residents continue to advocate for lowering the limit to 35 mph for improved safety.
